Two piece rail and insert system

ABSTRACT

A two piece rail and insert system includes a rail that may be constructed of a pultruded fiber reinforced material. The rail may be configured to receive an insert which may be constructed of a vinyl material that is easier to cut than the pultruded fiber reinforced material. Therefore, openings can be more easily formed into the insert to make the system compatible with different configurations and spacings of balusters. The softer vinyl material used in the insert causes less damage to the cutting machinery thereby reducing the cost of the assembly. The vinyl insert may also reduce the amount of harmful dust produced while forming the openings.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/339,018, filed Dec. 7, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, including but not limited to those portions that specifically appear hereinafter, the incorporation by reference being made with the following exception: In the event that any portion of the above-referenced application is inconsistent with this application, this application supercedes said above-referenced application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. The Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates generally to rail systems, and more particularly, but not necessarily entirely, to a rail system having two pieces with different beneficial properties.

[0005] 2. Description of Related Art

[0006] Rails are known in the art for use in decks, porches and fences for example. Such rails are useful in providing a secure barrier and adding to the aesthetic appearance of a structure. Rails are commonly used with vertical extending pickets or balusters of various sizes, configurations and spacing. It is common to use a particular style of rail with different types of balusters in different settings. Therefore, manufacturing and installation of rail systems often requires the use of tools and machinery to form the rail to the desired configuration to be compatible with the particular balusters to be used.

[0007] Rails made of durable materials often have a more attractive appearance, but are more difficult to cut or otherwise shape into condition for use with a particular baluster. High strength materials used in rails often cause more wear on the cutting machinery such as routers. This adds to the cost of installing the rails. Furthermore, the use of cutting tools on higher strength materials often emits fine dust particles into the atmosphere that may irritate the lungs or have adverse health effects if they are inhaled.

[0008] The prior art is thus characterized by several disadvantages that are addressed by the present invention. The present invention minimizes, and in some aspects eliminates, the above-mentioned failures, and other problems, by utilizing the methods and structural features described herein.

[0009] The features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The features and advantages of the invention described herein will become apparent from a consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a rail and insert system in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a side view of a rail and insert system, showing the insert installed partially within the rail;

[0013]FIG. 3 is an end view of the rail and insert system of FIG. 1, showing the insert installed within the rail;

[0014]FIG. 4 is a break-away plan view of an insert; and

[0015]FIG. 5, is a side view of a railing system including the rail and insert system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles in accordance with the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention claimed.

[0017] It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used herein, “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereof are inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

[0018] Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a rail and insert system, indicated generally at 10, is shown in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The rail and insert system 10 may be used in various applications such as barriers for decks and stairs or fences for example. The system 10 may include a rail 12 and an insert 14, also sometimes referred to as a cap.

[0019] It will be appreciated that the rail 12 may be arranged in various sizes and configurations within the scope of the present invention to provide a desired aesthetic appearance. The rail 12 may be configured to be supported in a laterally extending orientation for supporting a barrier 20 such as pickets, planks or balusters, as best shown in FIG. 5. The rail 12 may include a channel 13 defined by channel sidewalls 23, for receiving the barrier 20 therein. The rail 12 may also include a means for receiving an insert or cap 14, such as slot 16, as best shown in FIG. 3, so that the insert 14 may be received by the rail 12. The slot 16 may be defined by an upper ridge 25 and a lower ridge 26 formed in the channel sidewall 23. The upper ridge 25 and lower ridge 26 may extend longitudinally along the length of the rail. In one embodiment, the insert 14 may have a ledge 15 that fits into the slot 16 so that the insert 14 may move in a sliding relationship with respect to the rail 12. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the insert 14 may be attached to the rail 12 in other ways, such as by clamping onto the exterior of the rail 12, or snapping it to the rail 12 for example, within the scope of the present invention.

[0020] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, an end view and plan view of the insert 14 are shown. The insert 14 may be formed as a hollow member having an upper wall 17 configured to extend in a lateral orientation, and a lower wall 19 configured to extend substantially parallel to said upper wall 17. The insert 14 may have a first side 27 and a second side 28 connecting the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 19 such that a hollow space 21 may be defined between the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 19. The upper wall 17 may have a width that is greater than a width of the lower wall 19 such that the upper wall 17 may combine with the first side 27 and the second side 28 to form a pair of opposing ledges 15 on the insert 14 that are configured to be received in the slot 16 in the rail 12 such that the insert 14 is adapted to slide in a longitudinal direction with respect to the rail 12. It will also be understood that the insert 14 may be formed as a solid member within the scope of the present invention.

[0021] The insert 14 may include openings 18 into which pickets, planks or balusters, may be received for forming a vertical barrier 20. The openings 18 may extend through the upper wall 17 and the lower wall 19 and may have any of various sizes, shapes and spacings, within the scope of the present invention to be compatible with the configuration of a desired picket, plank or baluster forming barrier 20. It will be appreciated that the openings 18 shown in FIG. 1 are depicted with different sizes for illustrative purposes, and that the actual sizes of the openings 18 may be uniform to conform with the configuration of the picket, plank or baluster forming the barrier 20.

[0022] One advantage of the moveable relationship between the rail 12 and the insert 14 is that the system 10 may be adjustable and therefore more easily installed on slopes such as on stairs. In such circumstances, the barrier 20 may not extend in a perpendicular relationship with respect to the rail 12 and insert 14. The insert 14 may be moved with respect to the rail 12 to adjust the orientation of the barrier 20.

[0023] The rail 12 may be formed of various materials such as a PVC vinyl; a composite material made from a blend of wood flour and PVC resin, for example, with an extruded PVC vinyl top coating; or a pultruded fiber reinforced material made from a blend of fiberglass and PVC resin, for example, with an extruded acrylic top coating.

[0024] Pultrusion is a process for manufacturing reinforced profiles wherein a set of fibers are pulled through a resin bath and then through a heated die giving the profile its shape. After the profile passes through the die the profile may be cooled by air or water and cut into desired lengths. The resin used may be of various materials such as polyesters, vinyl esters, and epoxies for example. Furthermore, various types of fibers may be added in the pultrusion process to produce profiles having different characteristics, such as different strengths, hardnesses, or elasticities. The fiber may be either a fiber mat or a series of continuous fibers, or any other suitable fiber reinforcement.

[0025] The pultruded fiber reinforced material may provide rails having high hardness and strength characteristics and an attractive high quality appearance. However, due to the high strength and hardness characteristics of the pultruded fiber reinforced material, the machinery used to cut the rails wears out more rapidly than with lower strength materials. Resins used in pultruded fiber reinforced materials may be very abrasive to carbide tooling machinery. Furthermore, a fine powdery dust may be produced while cutting the pultruded fiber reinforced material. The dust may contain particles that are small enough to become airborne to increase the risk of being inhaled. This dust may irritate the lungs or be harmful to the health of the individuals involved with cutting the pultruded fiber reinforced material if the dust is inhaled.

[0026] An advantage of the present invention is that the rail assembly 10 is configured such that the rail 12 may receive the insert 14 to be compatible with various different baluster 20 configurations. The insert 14 may be constructed of a vinyl material, such as PVC, that is less costly to manufacture and cut than the material used in the rail 12, such as pultruded fiber reinforced material. The softer vinyl material used to construct the insert 14 may be cut clean more easily than the harder pultruded fiber reinforced materials. The openings 18 may be formed in the insert 14 by a manner known in the art such as using a router, or punching, stamping or cutting for example. The use of vinyl material in the insert 14 where cutting is required, reduces the wear on the cutting machinery, and thereby further reduces the cost of the installed rail system 10. Moreover, the cuttings generated while forming the openings 18 in the vinyl material are generally large enough to avoid becoming dispersed in the air. Therefore, danger of contaminant inhalation is reduced.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the rail 12 may be attached to balusters 20 and to a bottom support 22, such as a bottom rail or flooring for example, to provide a protective or supportive barrier for structures such as decks, porches or fences. The rail 12 may also be connected to a support structure such as a newel post 24 for supporting an end of the rail 12. The present two piece rail and insert system 10 thus allows a rail 12 of a particular style to be used with balusters 20 of different configurations and spacings without cutting the pultruded fiber reinforced material in the rail 12. The spacing of the balusters 20 can be configured by simply forming the openings 18 in the insert 14 as desired. Thus, the modification of baluster 20 spacing can be easily achieved so that the balusters 20 can be spaced evenly in rails 12 of different lengths. The rail and insert system 10 has high strength and aesthetic appearance characteristics while reducing the cost of materials in the insert 14 and reducing the cost of replacing and repairing the cutting machinery. Furthermore, the production of harmful dust during the cutting process may be reduced.

[0028] It will be appreciated that the term “hardness” as used herein refers to the relative resistance a material to denting, scratching, or bending. The hardness of a material may be measured using various different testing methods. One embodiment of the rail and insert system 10 may include a rail 12 that may be constructed of a pultruded fiber reinforced material having a Barcol hardness, as tested by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D2583, of greater than about 40. The rail and insert system 10 may also include an insert 14 made of a PVC material having a Shore D hardness, as tested by ASTM D2240, of less than about 90. Another exemplary embodiment of the rail and insert system 10 includes a rail 12 having a Barcol hardness of greater than about 50, and an insert 14 made of a PVC material having a Shore D hardness of less than about 86. It will be appreciated that various different combinations of rails 12 and inserts 14 having different hardnesses may be used within the scope of the present invention.

[0029] Other embodiments of a rail and cap for which the principles of the present invention may be employed are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,829 for FENCE SYSTEM WITH VARIABLE POSITION RAIL, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0030] In accordance with the features and combinations described above, a preferred method of forming rail and cap system for a barrier includes the steps of:

[0031] (a) selecting a first material having a first hardness for forming a rail of said rail and cap system;

[0032] (b) selecting a second material having a second hardness for forming a cap of said rail and cap system;

[0033] (c) forming a plurality of openings in said cap for receiving said barrier; and

[0034] (d) joining said rail and said cap.

[0035] It will be appreciated that the structure and apparatus disclosed herein is merely one example of a means for receiving an insert or cap, and it should be appreciated that any structure, apparatus or system for receiving an insert which performs functions the same as, or equivalent to, those disclosed herein are intended to fall within the scope of a means for receiving an insert, including those structures, apparatus or systems for receiving an insert which are presently known, or which may become available in the future. Anything which functions the same as, or equivalently to, a means for receiving an insert falls within the scope of this element.

[0036] Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate the advantages provide by the features of the present invention. For example, the present invention may provide a two piece rail and insert system that is simple in design and manufacture, that has high strength characteristics and that has an aesthetically pleasant appearance. The present invention also may provide a rail and insert system that reduces the wear on tools used to cut, stamp or rout the rail, and the rail system can be machined such that the amount of harmful waste emitted into the atmosphere is reduced.

[0037] It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the present invention has been shown in the drawings and fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made without departing from the principles and concepts set forth herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A rail and cap system for a barrier, said rail and cap system comprising: a rail formed of a first material having a first hardness, said rail comprising a channel for receiving said barrier; and a cap configured to cover said channel, said cap being formed of a second material having a second hardness, said cap comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings for receiving said barrier; wherein said second hardness is less than said first hardness to facilitate forming said openings in said cap.
 2. The rail and cap system of claim 1, wherein said rail further comprises a means for receiving a cap.
 3. The rail and cap system of claim 2, wherein said means for receiving a cap comprises a slot.
 4. The rail and cap system of claim 1, wherein said rail is formed of a pultruded fiber reinforced material.
 5. The rail and cap system of claim 4, wherein said pultruded fiber reinforced material has a Barcol hardness of greater than about
 50. 6. The rail and cap system of claim 1, wherein said cap is formed of a vinyl material.
 7. The rail and cap system of claim 6, wherein said vinyl material has a Shore D hardness of less than about
 86. 8. The rail and cap system of claim 1, wherein said cap further comprises an upper wall and a lower wall, said upper wall separated from said lower wall to form a space between said upper wall and said lower wall.
 9. The rail and cap system of claim 8, wherein said upper wall forms a ledge that is received in a slot in said rail.
 10. A method of forming rail and cap system for a barrier, said method comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a first material having a first hardness for forming a rail of said rail and cap system; (b) selecting a second material having a second hardness for forming a cap of said rail and cap system; (c) forming a plurality of openings in said cap for receiving said barrier; and (d) joining said rail and said cap.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) further comprises selecting a material having a Barcol hardness greater than about 50 for forming said rail.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein step (a) further comprises selecting a pultruded fiber reinforced material for forming said rail.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein step (b) further comprises selecting a material having a Shore D hardness of less than about 86 for forming said cap.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (b) further comprises selecting a vinyl material for forming said cap.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein step (c) further comprises forming said openings with a router.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein step (c) further comprises forming said openings with a punch.
 17. The method of claim 10, wherein step (c) further comprises cutting said cap to form said openings.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein step (d) further comprises inserting said cap in a slot formed in said rail.
 19. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting said first material to have a greater hardness than said second material.
 20. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming a channel in said rail for receiving said barrier.
 21. A method of forming rail and cap system for a barrier, said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a rail using a pultruded fiber reinforced material; (b) forming a cap using a vinyl material; and (c) joining said rail and said cap.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein step (a) further comprises selecting a material having a Barcol hardness greater than about 50 for forming said rail.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein step (b) further comprises selecting a material having a Shore D hardness of less than about 86 for forming said cap.
 24. The method of claim 21, further comprising forming openings in said cap for receiving said barrier.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising forming said openings with a router.
 26. The method of claim 24, further comprising forming said openings with a punch.
 27. The method of claim 24, further comprising cutting said cap to form said openings.
 28. The method of claim 21, further comprising inserting said cap in a slot formed in said rail.
 29. The method of claim 21, further comprising selecting said pultruded fiber reinforced material to have a greater hardness than said vinyl material.
 30. The method of claim 21, further comprising forming a channel in said rail for receiving said barrier.
 31. A rail and cap system for a barrier, said rail and cap system comprising: a rail configured to be supported in a laterally extending orientation for supporting said barrier, said rail comprising a pair of opposing sidewalls defining a channel for receiving said barrier, said opposing sidewalls comprising a slot; and a cap for covering said channel, said cap having an upper wall and a lower wall, said upper wall being spaced apart from said lower wall and forming a ledge for being received into said slot for attaching said cap to said rail.
 32. The rail and cap system of claim 31, wherein said rail comprise a pair of upper ridges and a pair of lower ridges formed on said sidewalls within said channel, said upper ridges and said lower ridges extending along a length of said channel and defining said slot therebetween.
 33. The rail and cap system of claim 31, wherein said upper wall has a width that is greater than a width of said lower wall to thereby form said ledge.
 34. The rail and cap system of claim 31, wherein said rail is formed of a pultruded fiber reinforced material.
 35. The rail and cap system of claim 34, wherein said pultruded fiber reinforced material has a Barcol hardness of greater than about
 50. 36. The rail and cap system of claim 31, wherein said cap is formed of a vinyl material.
 37. The rail and cap system of claim 36, wherein said vinyl material has a Shore D hardness of less than about
 86. 38. A rail and cap system for a barrier, said rail and cap system comprising: a rail configured to be supported in a laterally extending orientation for supporting said barrier, said rail comprising a pair of opposing sidewalls defining a channel for receiving said barrier, said opposing sidewalls comprising an upper ridge and a lower ridge defining a slot therebetween; and a cap for covering said channel, said cap having opposing ledges for being slidably received in said slot for attaching said cap to said rail.
 39. The rail and cap system of claim 38, wherein said rail is formed of a pultruded fiber reinforced material.
 40. The rail and cap system of claim 39, wherein said pultruded fiber reinforced material has a Barcol hardness of greater than about
 50. 41. The rail and cap system of claim 38, wherein said cap is formed of a vinyl material.
 42. The rail and cap system of claim 41, wherein said vinyl material has a Shore D hardness of less than about
 86. 43. A rail and cap system for a barrier, said rail and cap system comprising: a rail configured to be supported in a laterally extending orientation for supporting said barrier, said rail being formed of a first material having a first hardness and comprising a pair of spaced apart sidewalls defining a channel therebetween, said channel being configured for receiving said barrier; and a cap configured to be removably secured on said rail to cover said channel, said cap being formed of a second material having a second hardness, said cap comprising a plurality of spaced apart openings for receiving said barrier therethrough; wherein said second hardness is less than said first hardness to facilitate forming said spaced apart openings in said cap; wherein said rail further comprises a means for receiving said cap; wherein said means for receiving said cap comprises a pair of upper ridges and a pair of lower ridges formed on said sidewalls within said channel, said upper ridges and said lower ridges extending along a length of said channel and defining a slot therebetween for receiving said cap; wherein said rail is formed of a pultruded fiber reinforced material; wherein said pultruded fiber reinforced material has a Barcol hardness of greater than about 50; wherein said cap is formed of a vinyl material; wherein said vinyl material has a Shore D hardness of less than about 86; wherein said cap further comprises a hollow member having an upper wall extending in a lateral orientation and a lower wall substantially parallel to said upper wall, said upper wall being connected to said lower wall by a first side and a second side such that a space is formed between said upper wall and said lower wall; wherein said upper wall has a width that is greater than a width of said lower wall such that said upper wall combines with said first side and said second side to form a pair of opposing ledges on said cap that are configured to be received in said slot in said rail such that said cap is adapted to slide in a longitudinal direction with respect to said rail. 